rr;'-i^_ 


ivvi. 


DONNER  LAKE,  NEVADA  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA 


SAN  FRANC  I  sec 


\ 


NEVADA 

THE 

BANNER  COUNTY 

OF  THL 

GOLDEN  STATE 


SA/^ ^/?/i/VC/SCO  TO  NEVADA  COUNTY  /4 4  MILES 


Nevada  County 

State  of  California 

THE  HOME  OF  DEEP  PRODUCING  GOLD 

MINES  AND  PROLIFIC  FRUIT 

ORCHARDS 


Issued  by  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Nevada  County 
California 


PRESS  OF  UNION   PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
Grass  Valley,  California 


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NEVADA  COUNTY 

STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA 

STRETCHING  from  the  high  Sierras  into  the  great  valley  of 
the  Sacramento,  formed  of  a  vast  succession  of  hills  and 
vales,  plateaus  and  streams,  this  political  subdivision  encom- 
passes almost  every  variety  of  climate  and  soil  and  stands 
out  unicjue  and  picturescjue  among  the  sisterhood  of  counties. 
Its  early  history  is  most  romantic  and  amazing,  harking 
back  to  the  early  days  of  gold  seeking,  when  the  knight  of  the  pan, 
rocker,  and  sluice-box  haunted  the  gulches  and  ravines  and  counted 
his  day's  labor  lost  unless  it  yielded  him  an  ounce  of  virgin  gold. 
This  was  a  period  of  wealth  and  excitement.  Following  close,  came 
the  advent  of  quartz  mining.  The  early  efforts  being  well  repaid, 
deeper  and  deeper  these  veins  were  followd,  honey-combing  the 
depths  with  subterrannean  passages  until  the  industry  has  placed  the 
county  first  among  the  gold  producing  counties  of  California,  with 
every  encouragement  for  a  greater  future  production. 

Since  the  earliest  days  it  has  been  known  that  the  county  is  well 
adapted  to  horticulture  and  agriculture  pursuits,  and  the  movement, 
now  a  lusty  one,  is  not  to  supercede  or  take  the  place  of  mining,  but 
to  supplement  it,  the  two  flourishing  side  by  side  in  most  perfect 
harmony.   For  many  years,  however,  the  pounding  of  stamps  drowned 
the  call  of  "back  to  the  land"  and  the  ready  reply  to  many  inquiries 
«c  as   to   this    indifference   was :     Why   adopt   this   indirect   method   of 
S  tilling  the  soil  for  wealth,  when  gold  in  its  native  state  lurks  just 
'^  beyond?     This  thought,  paramoimt  in  the  minds  of  the  older  inhabit- 
^  ants,   was   instilled   in   the   minds   of  the   following   generation,   and 
S  nature's  bountiful  gift  of  climate,  conditions  and  soil,  to  them  had  the 
3  same  significence  that  a  quartz  ledge  would  have  to  a  member  of  an 
^  agricultural  community  without  a  knowledge  of  minerals.     But  the 
^  bordering    counties    not  being    endowed    with    that    permanency    in 
g  mining,  early  adopted  horticulture  and  agriculture,  and  their  expan- 
sion and  development  lifted  that  veil  of  "mining  exclusively,"  reveal- 
ing that  nature  had  been  just  as  liberal  in  creating  our  surface  as  our 
depths. 

In  this  brief  sketch  of  modern  Nevada  County,  it  is  considered 
proper  to  speak  of  two  specific  instances,  of  soil  development,  which 
are  typical  of  many. 

One  is  that  of  Mr.  Horace  V.  Winchell,  a  mining  engineer  of 
national  reputation,  whose  training  and  travel  gave  him  a  wide  knowl- 
edge of  what  constitutes  profitable  investments.  Coming  here 
in  a  professional  capacity  two  or  three  years  ago.  after  a  brief  visit 
he  departed  a  farmer,  having  instructed  his  agents  to  purchase  400 
acres  of  land  upon  which  he  is  spending  thousands  of  dollars,  plant- 
ing it  to  fruit. 

The  second  instance  is  that  of  Messers  W.  F.  and  C.  IT.  Prisk, 
natives  of  Nevada  County,  now  successful  publishers  and  men  of  large 


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LARGE  WALNUT  TREE. 


affairs  in  southern  California.  Believing  in  the  county  of  their  birth, 
they  recently  purchased  147  acres  of  virgin  land,  and  are  expending 
large  sums  in  transforming  the  natural  growth  into  a  commercial 
orchard. 

These  cases  might  be  multiplied  many  times,  and  they  are  ex- 
tremely signifiicent.  If  skilled  business  men  are  willing  to  invest  their 
money  here,  trusting  others  to  work  out  a  profit  for  them,  may  not 
the  homeseeker  look  with  confidence  to  recompense,  for  the  labor  of 
his  own  hands  ?  So  we  are  offering  the  homeseeker  and  visitors  a  very 
hearty  invitation  to  come  and  view  the  advantages  of  this  section,  and 
become  another  member  in  this  movement  which  is  destined  to  add 
another  distinction  to  this  county — that  of  producing  on  both  sides. 

Nevada  City  and  Grass  Valley,  the  two  principal  cities  of  the 
county,  are  often  referred  to  as  the  "Twin  Cities  of  the  Sierras." 
They  are  only  four  miles  apart  and  are  connected  by  both  electric  and 
.steam  railways  and  by  an  excellent  graveled  highway.  Each  city 
had  its  beginning  in  the  memorable  year  of  '49,  when  the  rude  cabins 
of  the  early  gold-seekers  made  their  appearance  on  what  now  con- 
stitutes the  town  sites. 

NEVADA  CITY. 

Nevada  City  has  a  population  of  approximately  4,000  and  is  the 
county  seat.  The  executive  building  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  beauti- 
ful lawn  and  is  commodious  and  in  keeping  with  the  wealth  of  the 


Swiil^' 


NEVADA  COUNTY'S  EXHIBIT  AT  SAN   FRANCISCO   LAND   SHOW,   1913. 


county.  At  the  edge  of  the  city  is  situated  the  county  hospital  and 
farm,  an  institution  where  the  indigent  sick  are  given  proper  care  and 
treatment. 

Among  the  pubhc  buildings  of  note  are  a  modern  high  school 
building,  just  erected  at  a  cost  of  $40,000,  handsome  Elk's  Home, 
Carnegie  Library,  large  grammar  school,  four  churches  and  numerous 
fraternal  buildings.  The  principal  streets  of  the  town  are  paved  and 
cement  sidewalks  are  now  being  pushed  into  every  section.  Electric 
lighting,  gas,  telephone,  municipal  water  and  street  car  systems  were 
long  since  established. 

Nevada  City  is  the  northern  terminal  of  the  Nevada  County  Nar- 
row Gauge  Railway  and  is  the  distributing  and  outfitting  point  fur 
a  large  portion  of  Nevada  and  Sierra  Counties.  Here,  too,  is  located 
the  headquarters  of  the  Tahoe  National  Forest. 

GRASS  VALLEY. 

Grass  Valley  has  a  population  of  about  5,500,  making  it  the  largest 
foot-hill  city  of  Northern  California.  Here  the  Federal  Government  is 
now  engaged  in  the  erection  of  a  postoffice  building  at  a  cost  of 
$75,000.  An  Elk's  Home,  recently  completed  at  a  cost  of  $50,000  and 
devoted  exclusively  to  the  uses  of  that  order,  four  churches,  six 
school  buildings  and  several  fraternal  buildings  are  of  the  present, 
while  the  near  future  gives  promise  of  high  school  and  public  library 
buildings  and  a  city  hall.     An  excellent  municipal  library  is  now  in 


CLEARIX(]   LAND   I'OU   ORCHARD. 

operation.  As  witli  the  county  seat,  all  of  the  modern  utilities  are 
available  here — electric  lights,  gas,  telephones,  municipal  water  and 
street  cars.  Here  has  been  established  a  cannery  for  the  packing  of 
fruits  and  vegetables  grown  in  the  ccunity. 

TRUCKEE. 

Nestling  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  ^Mountains,  at  an  elevation  of 
nearly  6,000  feet,  lies  the  city  of  Truckee,  whose  birth  dates  back  to 
the  construction  da}s  of  the  tirst  trans-continental  railroad,  when  its 
virgin  forests  material]}  assisted  in  solving  the  problems  of  the 
pioneers  of  railroad  building  in  the  west. 

With  a  past  which  was  closely  associated  with  early  historical 
lore,  as  it  was  near  here  that  the  ill-fated  Donner  party  passed  the 
disastrous  winter  of  1846-47,  and  with  a  future  which  is  destined  to 
make  its  name  bear  to  the  people  of  the  west  the  same  signihcance  as 
the  Alps  to  Switzerland,  Truckee  enjoys  the  unique  distinction  of 
being  among  the  few  playgrounds  of  the  west,  able  to  appeal  to  the 
pleasure  loving  public,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  in  nature's  own  way. 

With  its  rugged  moimtains  and  beautiful  scenery,  fine  hunting  and 
unexcelled  fishing,  lake  resorts  and  winter  sports,  nature  makes  this 
region  a  natural  paradise  for  the  tourist.  Its  close  proximity  to  Tahoe, 
Donner,  Independence,  and  Webber  Lakes,  gives  this  section  facilities 
for  appealing"  to  all  classes  of  people;  while  the  Truckee  River  passes 
through  the  city  and  Campbell's  hot  springs  is  within  a  few  hours  ride. 


8 


PLANTING   A   NEW    ORCHARD. 


Through  the  efforts  of  the  Truckee  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the 
Truckee  Ice  Carnival  and  Winter  Sports  Company  was  organized 
for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  to  the  thousands  of  CaHfornians,  Hving 
along  the  coast  and  in  the  great  valleys,  who  never  knew  before 
what  real  winter  sport  was,  the  opportunity  of  enjoying  the  rigors 
of  winter;  which  set  their  blood  tingling,  envigorating  their  systems 
and  sending  them  back  to  their  work  with  a  new  color  in  their  cheeks. 

The  carnival  opens  about  Christmas,  and  continues  well  into 
March,  during  which  time  the  railroad  oft'ers  special  rates.  The 
venture  is  proving  very  successful,  large  crowds  attending  through- 
out the  season.  A  large  ice  palace  is  devoted  to  ice  skating  and  danc- 
ing, while  a  long  toboggan  slide,  skieing,  and  sleighing  to  different 
places  of  interest,  form  the  principal  outdoor  amusements. 

Truckee  being  a  freight  division  point,  oft'ers  exceptional  op- 
portunities to  the  lumber  industry.  One  mill,  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Lumber  and  Wood  Company,  at  Overton,  cuts  30  million  feet  a 
year  and  employes  800  men ;  while  the  Crown  Paper  Company, 
located  a  few  miles  from  Truckee,  at  Floriston,  consumes  vast 
quantities  of  timber  in  the  manufacture  of  paper.  This  company  em- 
ploys a  large  number  of  men.  With  the  advent  of  refrigeration  of 
fruit  shipments  to  the  eastern  markets,  the  ice  industry  was  rapidly 
developed  and  the  section  now  cuts  over  200,000  tons  of  ice  a  year. 

The  population  of  Truckee  is  1700  and  its  public  schools  would 
be  a  credit  to  a  town  of  much  larger  population. 


10 


ORCHARDS  IN  BLOSSOM  AT  CHICAGO  PARK. 

THE  SCHOOLS. 

Nevada  County  has  a  public  school  system  which  compares 
favorably  with  that  of  any  county  of  the  state.  There  are  forty-five 
school  districts  with  an  aggregate  attendance  of  over  2,500  pupils. 
The  average  school  term  is  eight  and  one-half  months.  Competent 
and  worthy  teachers  are  employed  exclusively  and  the  minimum  wage 
is  $70  per  month. 

High  schools  are  maintained  in  the  towns  of  Grass  Valley, 
Nevada  City  and  Truckee,  with  an  aggregate  enrollment  of  about 
300,  and  the  number  is  constantly  increasing.  The  high  school  at 
Truckee  is  union,  embracing  the  districts  of  Truckee,  Boca,  Floriston. 
and  Overton.  Nevada  City  has  just  completed  a  splendid  high  school 
building,  while  Grass  Valley  contemplates  such  improvement  in  the 
near  future.  Under  the  laws  of  the  state,  high  school  facilities  must 
be  furnished  free  to  every  pupil  of  the  county  who  so  desires. 

In  addition  to  the  public  schools,  the  Sacramento  Diocese  of  the 
Catholic  church  maintains  at  Grass  Valley,  Mount  St.  Mary's 
Academy,  an  institution  for  girls,  St.  Patrick's  Academy,  for  boys, 
and  primary  schools,  for  both  resident  and  non-resident  pupils. 
Many  orphans  from  various  parts  of  the  country  are  given  kindly 
care  and  instruction  by  Sisters  in  charge  of  a  convent,  maintained 
for  over  half  a  century  by  the  church  at  Grass  Valley. 

A  well  equipped  business  college  is  also  conducted  in  Grass 
Valley. 


11 


I'XDERf.ROl'Xi:)   TIRBIXK    rrMPIXC.    STATION— 4000- FOOT    LEVEL. 

MINES  AND  MINING. 

The  double  honor  of  being  Lahfornia's  pioneer  and  banner  pro- 
ducing gold  mining  county  is  Nevada  County's  unique  distinction. 

This  county  was  among  the  first  in  which  gold  was  washed  from 
the  ravines  and  stream  beds  of  California's  foothills;  and  it  is  within 
the  Grass  Valley  district  that  the  lirst  discovery  of  rich  gold  bear- 
ing quartz  in  veins  was  made  and  on  which  discovery  the  great 
quartz  mining  industry  of  the  state  was  founded ;  and  at  Nevada 
City  the  first  hydraulic  mining  of  the  "dead  river"  gravels  for  gold 
was  inaugurated  in  the  early  '50's. 

Nevada  County  offers  intense  interest  to  the  geologist  and  mining 
engineer  through  the  varying  character  and  prominence  of  its  belts 
or  zones  of  quartz  and  mineral  bearing  bedrock  formations ;  and 
overcapping  the  bed  rock  series  there  exists  enormous  beds  of  gold 
bearing  quartz  gravels  sealed  and  capped  by  volcanic  muds  and  flows, 
which  present  a  study  of  both  geologic  and  economic  interest  un- 
ecjualled  anywhere  else  in  the  world. 

And  to  the  financial  investor  and  mining  operator,  the  county 
still  oft'ers  good  opportunity  for  the  development  of  productive  and 
paying  gold  and  copper  mines. 

The  history  of  gold  mining  in  Nevada  County  embraces:  (1) 
the  excitement  and  success  of  the  "days  of  '49"  pan  and  sluice  mining 
of  our  ravine  beds  which  were  so  rich  that  the  earliest  mining  camp 
regulations  and  code  of  laws  limited  a  "claim"  to  15  x  30  feet  of 


12 


PACKING  FRUIT  FOR  SHIPMENT. 

surface;  (2)  the  subsequent  development  of  the  enormous  hych-auHc 
mining  operations;  and  (3)  the  constant  and  successful  operation  of 
the  quartz  mines  from  1850  up  to  the  present  date,  with  the  develop- 
ment of  mines  from  claims  100  feet  sc^uare  and  worked  to  water  level 
depth,  to  the  present  holdings  of  hundreds  of  acres  of  mineral  patents 
and  working  to  depths  of  several  thousand  feet  on  the  veins. 

The  record  of  the  production  from  the  mines  of  Nevada  County 
shows  a  yield  in  gold  from  the  pioneer  sluice  and  surface  diggings 
of  $22,000,000;  from  the  hvdraulic  and  drift  gravel  mines  of  $80,000,- 
000;  and  from  the  quartz  mines  of  $140,000,000. 

Government  record  of  the  hydraulic  mining  operations  show  an 
estimated  total  of  over  400,000,000  cubic  yards  of  gravel  mined 
within  Nevada  County.  These  gravels  averaged  from  150  to  500  feet 
depth  of  pure  wash  gravel  bank  with  capping  of  volcanic  "to})  dirt" 
sometimes  150  to  200  feet  in  thickness.  The  gold  values  in  the 
gravels  ranged  from  10  or  15  cents  per  cubic  yard  for  top  gravel  to 
35  to  70  cents  per  cubic  yard  in  the  average  lower  depths  of  the 
channel.  The  bedrock  or  "blue  lead"  bottom  gravel  has  yielded  from 
$1.50  to  $5.00  per  cubic  yard  in  mining ;  this  latter  gravel  being  worked 
at  profit  by  drift  and  milling  or  sluice  process.  There  is  an  estimated 
available  quantity  of  gravel  remaining  in  these  ancient  river  chan- 
nels, exclusive  of  the  many  miles  of  deeply  capped  channels,  through 
cross  ridges,  of  from  2  to  3  times  the  quantity  excavated,  or  hundreds 
of  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  gold  awaiting  the  development  of  a 


13 


14 


GRAIN  SCENE  IN  PENN  VALLEY. 

process  of  mining  these  banks  which  will  come  within  the  permit  of 
Government  regulation.  Many  extensive  stretches  of  drift  gravels, 
either  cemented  or  free  wash  deposits,  offer  profitable  field  for  ex- 
ploration. 

It  is  in  quartz  gold  mining  that  Nevada  County  leads  in  yield 
and  in  profit.  From  the  Meadow  Lake  vein  system  at  8.000  or  9,000 
foot  elevation  near  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountain  summit,  to  Grass 
Valley  and  Rough  and  Ready  at  2,000  to  2,500  foothill  elevation,  there 
occurs  a  geological  association  of  metamorphosed  sedimentary  and 
highly  siliceous  igneous  rocks  with  accompanying  intensity  of  Assur- 
ing and  resultant  systems  of  veins  and  ore  bodies  which  offer  field 
for  geological  study,  financial  investment,  and  mining  operation  un- 
excelled in  present  day  mining. 

Meadow  Lake,  Graniteville,  Moores  Flat,  Washington,  Maybert, 
Columbia  Hill,  Willow  Valley,  Banner  Mountain,  Nevada  City,  Grass 
Valley  and  Rough  and  Ready  are  the  distinctive  district  segregations 
of  the  county,  and  each  of  these  in  turn  has  its  several  vein  systems 
varying  through  their  many  phases  of  direct  contact  occurrence,  and 
relationship  to  contact  through  resultant  fissure  systems. 

Throughout  these  districts  the  veins  range  from  an  average  of 
1  foot  to  several  feet  in  thickness  of  quartz,  and  the  ores  average  in 
yield  from  $4.00  or  $6.00  per  ton  in  the  larger  veins  to  an  average  of 
$12.00  to  $15.00  per  ton  from  the  smaller  veins  as  mined  in  the  Grass 
Valley  district.     Small  local  deposits  which  average   from  $50.00  to 


15 


I 


CEXERAI.    NA'rrKK    OF    LAM)    I 

$100.00  per  ton  h;i\c  l)ccn  mined  in  the  development  of  many  of  the 
veins,  and  frequent  oeeurrenee  of  bonanza  speeimen  ore  is  found  in 
most  of  the  veins. 

Outside  of  the  Grass  Valley-Nevada  City  districts  the  mines  have 
not  as  yet  been  developed  to  an  average  of  over  500  to  1000  feet  on 
the  pitcli  of  the  veins.  In  Nevada  City  the  Champion  Mines  are  being 
extensively  and  successfully  developed  from  2,400  foot  depth  to  the 
surface  throughout  many  hundreds  of  feet  on  the  course  of  the  veins  : 
and  in  Grass  Valley  the  Empire  and  North  Star  properties  are  de- 
veloi)ed  to  4,600  and  6,400  feet  on  the  flat  dip  of  the  veins.  Each  of 
these  latter  mines  has  many  miles  of  underground  work  and  has  de- 
veloped at  successive  depths  and  lengths  within  the  veins  many  ore 
bodies  each  of  remarkable  strength  and  value  of  vein  matter. 

Mining  is  conducted  in  Nevada  County  at  costs  ranging  from 
$4.00  to  $8.00  per  ton  of  ore  milled  and  the  ores  yielding  the  greater 
part  of  the  production  are  averaging  $12.00  to  $14.00  per  ton.  The 
county  is  producing  $3,000,000  annually  in  gold  and  silver. 

In  the  western  part  of  Nevada  Coimty  at  Indian  Springs  and 
Spenceville  and  northerly  near  French  Corral  are  many  fissure  vein 
and  lode  deposits  of  good  copper  ore.  The  fissure  veins  carry  a  fair 
content  of  gold,  while  the  lode  deposits  are  heavy  in  iron  and  sulphur. 
These  veins  are  all  unusually  strong  and  well  mineralized  and  the 
immense  Iron  Mountain  deposit  at  Indian  Springs,  now  owned  by 
the  United  States  Smelting  Company,  will  become  a  heavy  producer 
of  the  base  metals  and  their  by-products. 

16 


BELT    CF    NEVADA    COUNTY. 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Reports  contain  in  the  folio  descrip- 
tion of  this  section  the  following  strong  commendation  :  "Very  few 
districts  in  the  United  States  can  show  such  a  concentration  of  wealth 
in  a  comparatively  small  area." 

HORTICULTURE. 

No  other  branch  of  farming  offers  such  certainty  of  high  profit 
to  the  Nevada  County  rancher  as  fruit  growing,  assuming  that  proper 
locations  will  be  chosen  and  right  methods  followed.  Throughout 
the  greater  part  of  the  county  the  general  character  of  the  wooded 
slopes  and  rolling  hills  afford  the  ideal  conditions  of  soil,  air  drainage, 
soil  drainage,  etc.,  necessary  to  the  growing  of  thrifty  trees  and  per- 
fect fruit. 

The  equable  climate  removes  in  great  degree  the  principal  danger 
to  successful  fruit  culture — frost — and  at  the  same  time  so  broadens 
the  field  that  (barring  the  cranberry  and  the  pineapple)  the  fruit 
grower  may  here  successfully  and  profitably  undertake  to  raise  every 
important  fruit  known  and  grown  within  tlic  United  States — whether 
grown  on  plant,  bush,  vine,  or  tree. 

Local  conditions,  such  as  transportation  facilities  and  irrigation, 
or  the  demands  of  eastern  markets,  may  confine  commercial  fruit 
growing  to  certain  lines  ;  but  so  far  as  natural  limitations  are  con- 
cerned, it  may  be  stated  emphatically  that  these  do  not  exist. 

In  crossing  the  county  from  the  western  boundary  a  continual 
increase   in    elevation    is    noted,    giving   rise    to    climatic    differences 


17 


BAKTLETT  PEAKS  U.\  THE  TREE. 

18 


FIG  TREES  AT  PENN  VALLEY. 


which  determine  what  fruit  will  thrive  best.  For  comparison  it  will 
be  convenient  to  roughly  divide  the  county  into  three  zones  or  belts, 
according'  to  altitude,  bearing  in  mind  that  each  "belt"  will  overlap 
a  little  on  its  neighbor  in  point  of  products,  and  that  local  conditions 
sometimes  modify  "belt"  influences  over  small  areas. 

Within  the  west  belt — altitude  500  to  1,500  feet — are  to  be  found 
the  semi-tropical  fruits.  Here  thrive  the  orange,  lemon,  grapefruit, 
olive  and  fig,  together  with  all  the  usual  fruits  and  nuts  of  the  tem- 
perate zone.  During  the  great  freeze  of  1912,  that  wrought  such  havoc 
in  southern  California,  the  citrus  trees  of  Nevada  County  were  unin- 
jured, and  in  the  year  1913  these  trees  bore  the  fruit  that  won  for 
this  county  the  first  prize  for  best  citrus  exhibit  at  the  great  Califor- 
nia Land  Show  of  that  year.  The  cherries  that  won  first  prize  were 
also  grown  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

When  better  transportation  facilities  are  provided  the  growing  of 
both  citrus  and  deciduous  fruits  for  shipment  in  the  fresh  state  will 
receive  a  tremendous  impetus.  At  present,  large  profits  will  be  found 
in  such  fruits  as  may  be  marketed  in  a  non-perishable  form,  such  as 
dried  apricots,  figs  and  prunes,  pickled  olives,  nuts,  etc.  Almonds, 
chestnuts  and  walnuts  may  be  grown  profitably,  and  in  the  eastern 
part  of  this  belt  there  are  handsome  profits  in  pear  growing.  Land 
values  are  exceedingly  reasonable  and  a  large  acreage  afTords  a  broad 
choice. 

In  the  central  belt — altitude  1,500  to  3,000  feet — oranges,  lemons 
and  grapefruit  are  not  grown,  but  in  the  lower  portion  olives  and 

19 


HUNG  ART  AX  PRUNES  IX  BLOSSOM. 


figs  may  be  found  growing  in  neighborly  proximity  to  apples,  pears, 
peaches,  etc.  Improved  transportation  facilities  in  this  belt  have  led 
to  the  growing  of  a  much  broader  variety  of  fruits,  and  apples, 
cherries,  peaches,  pears,  plums,  prunes,  nuts,  grapes  and  berries  are 
produced  in  perfection  and  in  profusion. 

The  greatest  fruit  of  this  central  belt — and  of  Nevada  County — 
is  the  matchless  Bartlett  pear.  Here  were  grown  the  pears — Bart- 
letts  and  other  varieties — which  at  the  State  Fair  of  1913  brought 
to  Nevada  County  the  sweepstakes  award  for  best  pear  exhibit,  and 
for  best  exhibit  in  each  variety  entered.  At  the  California  Land 
Show  of  the  same  year,  fruit  from  this  part  of  the  county  won  gold 
medals  (first  prizes)  for  best  peaches,  pears,  plums,  prunes  and  nuts ; 
and  also  first  prize  for  best  general  fruit  exhibit. 

Within  the  limits  of  this  belt  are  to  be  found  most  of  the  new 
commercial  orchards  of  Nevada  County — as  many  as  10,000  trees  in 
one  planting,  with  larger  plantings  now  commenced  or  projected. 
One  of  the  present  10,000  tree  orchards  will  be  added  to  annually,  as 
the  land  is  cleared,  until  the  full  planting  of  30,000  trees  is  completed 
three  years  hence.  Many  hundreds  of  acres  in  small  tracts  are  being 
cleared  for  planting,  and  inside  a  few  years  the  total  orchard  acreage 
will  favorably  compare  with  that  in  the  other  foothill  counties,  which 
earlier  arrived  at  a  realization  of  their  fitness  for  this  most  profitable 
branch  of  farming. 

Nevada  County's  awakening  has  been  a  tardy  one,  but  it  has  the 
great  advantage  that  it  allows  the  fruit  grower  here  to  profit  from 

20 


k'v^- Jt<Ai*^^^ 


YOUNG  APPLE  ORCHARD. 


the  mistakes  that  were  made  in  the  earher  days  of  liorticultural 
development.  The  present  planting  is,  therefore,  entirely  along  the 
line  of  high-qnality  commercial  varieties,  their  fitness  to  the  county's 
conditions  having  been  amply  proven  by  50  years  of  limited  orchard- 
ing, during  which  time  the  superior  quality  of  Nevada  County  fruit 
has  become  known  to  the  great  markets  of  the  nation  and  a  demand 
created  far  in  excess  of  the  supply.  With  large-scale  orcharding 
now  in  full  swing,  there  is  no  uncertainty  as  to  results — no  doubt  as 
to  profits — no  limit  as  to  markets. 

The  pear  will  ever  be  the  favored  fruit  in  the  central  belt.  Its  high 
quality  and  unusual  shipping  properties  combine  to  bring  top  prices — 
sometimes  in  excess  of  $4.00  per  box  of  48  pounds — while  on  the 
cultural  side  it  is  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  trees  and  one  of  the 
longest-lived  and  hardiest.  The  county  has  one  40-year-old  tree  that 
bore  40  boxes  of  first-quality  fruit  in  1914. 

This  royal  fruit  is  entitled  to  be  designated  "King  of  California 
Fruits."  It  is  securely  enthroned  as  Nevada  County's  favorite  and 
best,  and  should  be  planted  in  largely  increased  acreage.  There  is 
not  the  remotest  danger  of  over-production.  Blight — the  constant 
menace  of  many  districts — is  not  feared  here.  Natural  agencies  set 
a  limit  upon  the  activity  of  this  insidious  bacterial  disease,  and  it 
shows  none  of  its  customary  destructiveness  imder  the  foothill  con- 
ditions of  soil,  moisture  and  climate.  Simple  control  methods  are  so 
successful  that  no  apprehension  is  felt  on  the  rare  occasions  when 
it  makes  its  appearance. 

21 


22 


PEAR  ORCHARD. 

The  following  is  production  from  above  orchard  of  one  hundred  trees: 
1911— Sold  to  Earl  Fruit  Co.  -100  boxes  Bartletts,  at  60c  per  box.  $240.00  net  total. 
1912— Sold  to  Earl  Fruit  Co.  390  boxes  Bartletts,  at  60c  per  box.  $234.00  net  total. 
1913— Sold  to  Earl  Fruit  Co.  421  boxes  Bartletts,  at  60c  per  box.  $252.60  net  total. 
1914— Sold  to  Pioneer  Fruit  Co.  530  boxes  Bartletts,  at  $1.00  per  box.  $530.00  net  total. 
Average   net    yield   per   acre,  per   year,   $314.75. 

Commercially  plums  are  next  in  importance  to  pears.  They  are 
a  most  satisfactory  fruit  for  the  grower,  and  often  bring  as  high 
an  acre-profit  as  the  pear.  Those  grown  in  the  foothills  are  match- 
less in  c[uality  and  beauty,  and  are  in  heavy  demand  in  New  York, 
Boston  and  other  great  cities  of  the  east.  Refrigerator  ships  will 
undoubtedly  soon  land  California  plums  in  London  in  perfect  condi- 
tion, by  way  of  the  Panama  canal.  Uncjuestionably  the  canal  is  soon 
to  prove  the  greatest  factor  in  enlarging  the  market  for  fresh  Cali- 
fornia fruit,  and  in  reducing  transportation  costs  to  the  grower, 
thereby  largely  increasing  his  net  profit.  The  market  for  the  plum 
is  somewhat  narrower  than  for  the  pear ;  however,  it  is  a  most 
profitable  fruit  if  grown  in  the  right  location,  and  there  is  room  for 
a  large  increase  in  acreage. 

Peaches  are  largely  grown  for  home  consumption,  and  are  up 
to  the  usual  high  California  standard  of  size  and  luscious  cpiality, 
but  comparatively  few  are  shipped  to  outside  markets.  The  prudent 
commercial  orchardist  is  planting  other  fruits,  which  bring  higher 
profits  and  do  not  involve  the  question  of  over-production. 

Apples  are  an  important  product,  and  in  both  quality  and  color 
are  incomparably  fine,  while  the  yield  per  acre  is  generally  heavy. 


23 


N.WEL  ORANGE  TREES. 

24 


TWO-YEAR-OLD   PEACH  ORCHARD  AT  ROUGH   AND  READY. 

Most  of  the  present  production  is  required  to  satisfy  the  home 
demand.  In  the  older  orchards  too  many  varieties  were  planted,  and 
many  were  not  those  which  are  in  commercial  demand.  Recent 
plantings  are  correcting  these  mistakes,  and  a  larger  acreage  set  to  a 
few  varieties  of  high  quality  shows  the  present  trend.  In  spite  of 
heavy  production  all  over  the  United  States,  large  profits  are  still 
to  be  made  in  growing  apples  of  quality.  No  other  fruit  is  better 
suited  to  Nevada  County  conditions  and  it  is  an  open  question  if 
any  other  part  of  the  country  is  better  suited  to  this  fruit,  particularly 
in  the  higher  altitudes.  Heavy  planting  of  the  desirable  varieties  is 
to  be  recommended,  since  fancy  fruit  always  commands  a  profit,  but 
it  would  be  unwise  to  plant  those  of  second  qua  lit}-. 

Cherries  are  productive  and  reach  the  limit  of  perfection  in  the 
deep  soils  of  the  central  belt.  Trees  attain  great  size  and  yields  of 
a  ton  to  a  single  tree  are  claimed  on  good  authority.  Ripening  late, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  ship  them  to  the  east,  since  southern  California 
affords  an  excellent  market  for  the  county's  surplus.  In  proper  loca- 
tions the  acreage  may  be  materially  increased  with  profit. 

The  production  of  English  walnuts  is  steadily  increasing  and 
bids  fair  to  become  an  important  and  profitable  industrw  A  Nevada 
County  man,  the  late  Felix  Gillet,  introduced  to  California  the  hardy, 
late-blooming  French  type  from  Grenoble,  France,  in  1871.  and  this 
type  is  adapted  to  our  conditions.  Although  not  widely  planted  in 
a  commercial  way,  the  acreage  is  being  gradually  extended.     Con- 


25 


LARGE  PEAR  TREE— HARVESTED  46  BOXES. 

26 


OLIVE  ORCHARD. 

siderable  interest  is  now  being  manifested  in  chestnuts  and  filberts. 
The  former,  at  least,  promises  well  for  general  planting,  while  in 
proper  locations  the  latter  is  satisfactory.  The  future  will  see  a  heavy 
increase  in  the  planting  of  nut  trees  but  care  must  be  exercised  in 
choosing  suitable  locations. 

In  the  east  belt — altitude  3,000  to  5,000  feet — apples  are  grown 
almost  entirely.  These  are  of  the  highest  possible  quality,  of  large 
size,  and  of  great  beauty.  This  part  of  the  county  is  a  perfect  apple 
country,  and  even  up  to  an  elevation  of  5,000  feet  a  failure  of  the 
crop  is  almost  unknown.  Land  values  are  low  and  fortunes  will  be 
made  by  those  who  rise  to  this  opportunity.  At  present,  the  lack  of 
transportation  facilities  is  a  disadvantage ;  later,  this  condition  will 
disappear. 

Grapes  reach  perfection  in  the  west  and  central  belts,  but  other 
fruits  are  commercially  preferable  and  no  material  increase  of 
acreage  is  warranted. 

Throughout  the  entire  county  berries  of  every  kind  are  most 
profitable,  and  offer  quick  returns  to  the  industrious  with  no  chance 
of  over-production.  Ten  times  the  present  production  can  be 
marketed  without  difficulty.  Many  are  now  shipped  in  from  other 
markets. 

No  other  kind  of  farming  will  pay  better  than  intelligently 
directed  fruit  growing  under  suitable  conditions.  Where  these  con- 
ditions are  realized — as  in  Nevada  County — it  makes  little  difference 
what  fruit  is  chosen :  there  is  money  to  be  made  with  all.    Tree  fruits 

27 


WALXLTS  AND   ALFALFA. 

will  pay  a  profit  of   from  $50  to  $300  per  acre,  according  to  care, 
season,  and  markets,  while  berries  will  double  these  figures. 

However,  much  depends  upon  "the  man  behind  the  plow."  I  lis 
energy  and  his  application  of  the  best  modern  methods  will  determine 
his  success  here — just  as  in  every  other  place  on  the  globe.  It  is  all 
"up  to"  the  individual,  but  the  right  man  will  reap  a  rich  reward. 

Planting  of  Fruit  Trees  in  Nevada  County  in  the  Last  Three  Years. 

The  following  facts  were  compiled  by  the  County  Horticultural 
Commissioner,  from  the  statistics  of  his  office : 

There  is  over  250.000  acres  available  to  horticultural  and  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  Nevada  County. 

The  present  area  under  cultivation  is  32,000  acres. 

There  are  2,495  acres  planted  to  decidious  fruit. 

The  total  acreage  of  fruit  in  Nevada  County  in  1910  was  842  acres. 

In  1912.  200  acres  were  planted  to  fruit. 

In  1913,  620  acres  were  planted  to  fruit. 

In  1914,  833  acres  were  planted  to  fruit,  and  91  acre  to  nuts. 

Of  the  1,  453  acres  i)lantcil  in  1913-14,  S^S'G  acres  were  planted  to 
pears. 

IRRIGATION. 

Nevada  County,  in  its  gentle  westerly  slope  from  the  Sierras  to 
the  k^w  foothills  at  the  edge  of  the  Sacramento  Willey.  presents  sev- 
eral distinctly  defined  areas  of  ridge,  foothill  and  valley  lands  each 


28 


INTERIOR   OF   CANNERY. 

confined  between  prominent   parallels   of  westerly   flowing   streams 
from  the  Yubas  to  Bear  River. 

Both  of  these  have  their  sources  principally  in  the  Sierra  Nevada 
mountains  within  the  boundaries  of  Nevada  County  ;  and  throughout 
this  range  of  mountains  are  nestled  numerous  natural  and  artificial 
lakes  of  enormous  storage  capacity  which  form  the  conserved  sup- 
ply for  the  ditch  systems  of  the  county. 

The  northerly  foothill  section  of  the  county  known  as  the  San 
Juan  Ridge,  is  a  long  divide  of  5  or  6  miles  width  between  the  Middle 
and  South  Yuba  Rivers.  From  the  mountain  lakes  to  French  Corral, 
a  distance  of  over  30  miles,  the  Northern  Water  and  Power  Company 
ditch  systems  cover  the  backbone  points  and  command  this  divide. 

From  the  South  Yuba  River,  southerly  through  the  Deer  Creek 
basin  which  includes  Newtown,  Rough  and  Ready,  Penn  Valley, 
Pleasant  Valley,  and  Mooney  Flat,  the  Excelsior  Water  Companv 
through  a  system  of  ditches  about  100  miles  in  length  taking  watei 
directly  from  the  lower  altitudes  of  the  streams  above  mentioned, 
develops  a  minimum  summer  supply  of  not  less  than  2,000  miners' 
inches  of  water  (50  sec.  ft.)  and  has  an  ultimate  capacity  sufficient 
to  irrigate  5,000  acres  of  tilled  land. 

The  section  of  land  tributary  to  this  ditch  system  constitutes  the 
particularly  thriving  and  prosperous  dairying  section  of  this  county. 

The  remaining  section  of  the  westerly  foothills  of  the  county 
from  Indian  Springs  divide  to  Bear  River  at  20  miles  southerly,  and 


29 


30 


PENN  VALLEY  CREAMERY. 

from  the  westerly  county  boundary  10  miles  to  Wolf  Creek  and  thence 
5  or  six  miles  further  to  the  Chicago  Park  and  Cottage  Hill  fruit 
and  farming  districts,  is  an  area  of  over  100,000  acres  of  California's 
best  foothill  land,  which  is  as  yet  without  irrigation  except  the  few 
private  water  rights  and  ditches  from  Wolf  Creek  and  the  supply 
afforded  by  the  Campbell  or  New  Blue  Point  ditch  from  Wolf  Creek 
to  Indian  Springs.  The  Perrin  and  Lime  Kiln  ranches  are  excellent 
examples  of  well  watered  farms. 

CANNERY. 

The  Nevada  County  cannery  is  a  creation  of  the  confidence  which 
the  citizens  have  in  their  section.  It  was  realized  that  the  building 
of  a  horticultural  industry  demanded  two  commercial  conditions ; 
first,  a  market  for  the  products  grown  by  the  new  settler  while  his 
orchard  is  maturing,  and  second,  a  positive  market  for  the  products 
of  his  orchard  when  it  matures.  So  the  citizens  of  this  section  raised 
$16,000  and  the  Nevada  County  Cannery  Association  is  the  result. 

The  cannery  has  been  in  operation  for  two  seasons  and  it  is  the 
consensus  of  opinion  that  it  has  been  a  large  factor  in  stimulating  the 
planting  of  fruit.  Last  year  the  cannery  expended  $14,000  in  operat- 
ing of  which  $5,000  was  for  labor,  there  being  as  many  as  186  men, 
women  and  children  on  their  payroll.  The  balance  was  expended  for 
fruit  and  material.  The  cannery  packed  about  7,000  cases  last  season, 
and  having  formed  a  connection  with  the  California  Fruit  Exchange, 


31 


30470 


ALI  ALIA   Si  KM'.   AT    I'K.NX    \  Al.l.LV. 

in  addition  to  the  pack,  it  shipped  8,640  boxes  of  Bartlett  pears  to 
the  eastern  markets  which  averaged  $2.25  per  box  gross. 

The  cannery  is  paying  $40  per  ton  for  pears,  on  a  five  or  ten 
year  contract. 

The  pack  in  1914  consisted  of  pears,  peaches,  plums,  apples,  and 
beans. 

DAIRYING. 

The  birth  of  the  industry  in  this  county,  dates  back  to  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Penn  \'alley  creamery,  the  success  of  which  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  outside  capital,  which  started  a  second 
creamery,  and  at  the  present  time  both  institutions  are  in  a  pros- 
perous condition. 

There  are  well  defined  reasons  for  this  growth.  The  natural 
environments  and  climatic  conditions,  together  with  the  requirements 
of  the  local  markets,  which  enable  the  creameries  to  pay  6  cents 
more  than  the  San  Francisco  quotations,  are  large  factors,  but  the 
third  and  perhaps  determining  factor,  is  the  small  investment  neces- 
sary for  land,  which  is  an  inducement  to  the  beginner.  In  many  of 
the  older  dairying  sections  of  the  state,  price  of  dairy  land  ranges 
from  $150  to  $300  per  acre,  while  here  the  prevailing  prices  range 
from  $50  to  $100.  This  means  the  same  investment  procures  land 
enough  here  to  support  a  much  larger  herd. 

In  summing  up  the  advantages  for  dairying  in  this  district,  one 
is  justified  in  predicting  a  very  bright  future. 


32 


Nevada  County  is  the  Banner  Gold  Producing 
County  in  California 


Its   mines   have  produced  $242,000,000   in   gold.    Thev  have   a   monthly 

payroll  of  $125,000. 
The  population  of  the  county  is  14,955. 

Its  area  is  982  square  miles.     Its  altitude  ranges  from  500  to  8000  feet. 
Its  schools  are  accredited  to  the  State  University. 
Its  reservoirs  have  a  storage  capacity  of  50  billion  gallons  of  water. 
It  has  over  800  miles  of  ditch  and  canal  systems. 
The  Truckee  River  is  one  of  the  finest  trout  streams  in  the  world. 
It  has  the  largest  paper  mill  in  California. 
It   has   two   creameries — they  pay  6  cents   above    San   Francisco   cream 

quotations. 

The  following  are  the  averages  of  a  30-year  record,  at  2500  elevation  : 
Aver   ^e  rainfall,  54.41   inches. 

Aveicge  mean  temperature,  53.5.     Highest,  56.7.     Lowest,  51.9  degrees. 
Highest  recorded  maximum  temperature  registered.  104.     Lowest,  4  degrees. 
Monthly   averages:     Jan.,   41.5;   Feb.,  43.7;    Mar.,  44.6;   Apr.,   50.6;    May,   55.5; 
June,  62.5;  July,  67.7;  Aug.,  67.6;  Sept.,  61.6;  Oct.,  55.3;  Nov.,  47.7;  Dec,  43.1 

Total  No.  Rainy  No.  Clear  No.  Partly  No.  Cloudy 

Precipitation         Days  Days  Cloudy  Days  Days 

1909    88.54  99  216  57  92 

1910    34.40  62  225  71  89 

1911    69.07  76  216  81  68 

1912    44.20  80  198  105  63 

1913    50.69  70  227  50  88 

'ilie  red  loams  and  the  granite  soils  are  the  two  predominating  types. 

Average  range  of  Phosphoric  acid       Lime  Potash  Humus 

Analysis    of   these    types 10  to  0.25        .26  to  1.60     .20  to  0.26     1.25  to  3.75 

Amounts  recognized  as  adequate.        .10  .20  .20  1.00 

In  competition  with  32  counties  Nevada  County  took   first  prize  in  all 

varieties  of  deciduous  tree  fruit  at  the  San  Francisct)  Land  Show, 

1913. 
Nevada  County  took  a  sweepstake  in  pears  at  the  State  l-'air.  1913. 
Nevada  County  has  three  nurseries. 

Three  commercial  fruit  companies  operate  in  Nevada  County. 
Nevada  County  Cannery  is  paying  $40  per  ton  for  Bartlctt  pears,  on  five 

and  ten  year  contracts. 
Nevada  County  is  planting  about  700  acres  of  fruit  trees  a  year. 
A  ten-year-old  Bartlett  pear  orchard,  properly  cared   for,  will  produ:c 

from  5  to  15  tons  per  acre. 
The  price  of  raw  fruit  land  ranges  from  $20  to  $100  per  acre. 
There  is  400  square  miles  in  Nevada  County  fruit  belt. 


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UCLA-Young  Research   Library 

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